The old ones are still the best! Skipping and hopscotch are still childrens’ favourite breaktime games

Traditional games such as skipping, trading cards and hopscotch are still amongst the most popular in playgrounds today, it has been revealed.

The study of 2,000 parents also found that while modern children no longer enjoy traditional games such as conkers, marbles and Yo-Yo, some of the old classics are still being enjoyed.

Indeed, kids of 30 years ago would spend all their playtimes swapping stickers and shouting out ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf?’ – both pastimes still commonly found in Britain’s playgrounds now.

But other games which have failed to stand the test of time include cat’s cradle and British Bulldog, the poll by Topps Match Attax found.

Seven in 10 parents claim their child looks forward to playtimes at school, although four in 10 don’t believe they have as much fun as they used to years ago.

Rod Pearson from Topps Match Attax, which commissioned the research following the launch of the new season’s Premier League trading card game, said:

”This research is interesting because it shows that there are some games which have been passed through the generations, making their way into playgrounds today.

”Parents will love the fact that their children are playing the same games, as it will remind them of the fun they had when they were at school and they can show an active interest in what their children are doing.

”In contrast, games which would have been seen in playgrounds twenty or thirty years ago, such as conkers, hoola hoop or cat’s cradle simply haven’t had the same staying power.

”Some of this is down to the fact that schools have changed the rules when it comes to playground games, and times have changed – a simple game of conkers no longer has the appeal it once did.”

The study shows the most popular playground craze 30 years ago was skipping, followed by conkers and hopscotch.

Today the most popular crazes are swapping football stickers and cards, alongside skipping.

Half of all parents polled firmly believe that swapping items at school and joining in with playground games allowed them to make friends more easily.

Six in 10 remember taking items such as POGs and stickers to swap with their friends at school, and a third of parents say their children are constantly returning home from school with items they have swapped with their friends.

Half of parents admit they actively encourage their child to join in with playground crazes with their peers, despite six in 10 finding it hard to keep up with the latest trends in toys and games.

However, 18% of children today have never played bumper cars, 17 % can’t play marbles and 25% aren’t allowed to play conkers in school.

Other games some schools forbid include British Bulldog (22%) and strangely enough, Yo-Yo (13%).

Rod Pearson continues:

”Despite some games and toys having decreased in popularity over time, it’s great to see that trading cards and stickers are still as popular on the playground today as they were thirty years ago.

”With trading cards, and Match Attax in particular, being two of the top five playground games of today, it’s great to see that the excitement surrounding the act of collecting and swapping continues to be enjoyed and shared.”’

TOP PLAYGROUND GAMES